Power in the Narratives of Finnish Women and Men with an Intra Familial Child Sexual Abuse Background

Abstract

In the article the enticement process is analysed through power in the narratives of Finnish women and men who were sexually abused in their childhood nuclear families. The material of this sensitive interview study consists of in-depth interviews of twenty-one victims, seventeen women and four men, and secondary material of writings. Thematic analysis was carried out. The categorised aspects of power were named as arbitrary power, threatening power, coercive power, manipulative power, compensatory power, seductive power, and caring power called love. These categorised aspects of power can be conceptualized as victimizing power which is a remarkable part of victimization in the victim's experiences. The victims need support in the breaking of the bond formed by power, violence, gender and sexuality in their personal histories, and in disentangling and interpreting its meanings. It is a question of how adult victims with their experiences are understood in the service system.